Airport Road traffic to be restricted on Fridays from 31 March
The contractor firm has no authority to issue a notice restricting traffic movement, the Roads and Highways Department says
Traffic movement on the airport road will be restricted for seven hours from 11 pm on Fridays from 31 March to 24 June for the construction of a bridge of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).
Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC), the contractor company of the third terminal, issued a notice on Tuesday, quoting the Roads and Highways Department, asking passengers to start their commute with extra time in hand.
An additional chief engineer of the Roads and Highways Department claimed that the construction firm has no authority to issue such a notice restricting traffic movement.
"However, Civil Aviation and RHD officials have jointly taken this decision," AKM Maksudul Islam, director of the third terminal construction project, claimed.
AKM Maksudul Islam said, "We took the decision after discussing it with the authorities concerned-- including the Roads and Highways Department and Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The work is being done at night keeping in mind the inconvenience to commuters in the capital city's busy road."
He also said even if the road is not completely closed, it will become very narrow during the construction of the bridge. "We issued this notice to inform passengers about possible traffic jams."
Md Sabuj Uddin Khan, the additional chief engineer of RHD Dhaka Zone, said the Roads and Highways Department did not take such a decision regarding the closure of the airport road.
He said, "We have no connection with this notice issued by the contractor company. They cannot take any decision to close the road. The Roads and Highways Department will decide if the road needs to be closed. Civil aviation is also there to take such a decision."
"Adding RHD's name to the notice is a kind of audacity of the contractor company. We will soon discuss the matter with this company," he also said.
